Andrea McNulty filed the civil lawsuit last week in Washoe County, Nev., stemming from an alleged incident in July 2008. Roethlisberger was served while he was in Nevada for another golf event over the weekend.

Roethlisberger is not facing any criminal charges, and it's unclear if McNulty ever tried to file a criminal complaint before taking legal action against him. The Douglas County, Nev., District Attorney's Office said it has no record of a criminal complaint being filed against Roethlisberger.

Team 4 Obtains Copy Of Lawsuit Against Ben Roethlisberger

Team 4 investigator Jim Parsons obtained a copy of the lawsuit, in which McNulty says that she initially came in contact with Roethlisberger through the course of her duties as VIP services manager at Harrah's Lake Tahoe.

Court Document: Read The Complaint Against Ben Roethlisberger
(Warning: Includes Some graphic descriptions)

The lawsuit says that Roethlisberger stopped by McNulty's desk in the penthouse area of the hotel's 17th floor on the night of July 11, 2008, and talked with her and other staff members for about 20 minutes.

When Roethlisberger left, he mentioned that the television sound system in his room wasn't working and asked if McNulty would "take a quick look" at it, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit says that McNulty went to Roethlisberger's room after being unable to reach her boss on the phone or anyone in engineering, and when she went inside, she determined that the TV was working properly and told him so.

Blocking the door as McNulty tried to leave, Roethlisberger began kissing and fondling the woman and pushed her onto his bed, where he forcibly had sex with her despite her objections, according to McNulty's claims in her lawsuit.

The lawsuit states that McNulty says the quarterback "... grabbed plaintiff and started to kiss her ... Plaintiff protested several times, but instead of stopping, Roethlisberger began fondling Plaintiff through her dress ... Roethlisberger held her against her will and physically moved Plaintiff and pushed her onto his bed."

According to the lawsuit, which asks for a total of $390,000 in damages, Roethlisberger asked, "There are cameras on this room, aren't there?" To which, McNulty responded, "Yes, There are cameras everywhere." The suit continues, saying, "Roethlisberger, acting very worried, sternly instructed her, 'If anyone asks you, you fixed my television.' 'You fixed my television. Now go!'"

Timing Of Lawsuit's Filing Raises Questions

Mike Florio is a West Virginia attorney who broke the lawsuit story on the ProFootballTalk.com -- which was the first Web site to report the story. He said the lack of a criminal case will make the civil case difficult for McNulty to win.

"No witnesses, no objective evidence, no trip to the hospital, no rape kit involved, it's going to be difficult to get anyone to believe this because it does come down to her word against his word," he said.

Florio added, "If this lawsuit had been filed before this past weekend, he probably would not have gone back to Tahoe for the celebrity golf tournament, and I think that's why it was filed last week because, otherwise, you're going to have to track him down and sue him where he lives. You can't sue him in Nevada unless he's there to be served paperwork."

The lawsuit says McNulty became very depressed after the incident, even being admitted to a mental health institution. McNulty said Harrah's resort executives -- also named in the lawsuit -- refused to investigate her claims because they are close friends with the quarterback.

A total of nine plaintiffs are named in the lawsuit. McNulty said in the lawsuit that the Harrah's executives named tried to cover up the alleged incident, telling her she was overreacting and that "most girls would feel lucky to have sex with someone like Ben Roethlisberger."

Steelers Stand Behind Ben Roethlisberger

In a phone interview late Monday night, Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett told WTAE Channel 4 Action News, "We are aware of the allegations but cannot comment on the specifics of the case. We've been told Ben's side of the story and we fully support him at this time."

Regarding the accusations against Roethlisberger, attorney David Cornwell issued the following statement late Monday night:

"This weekend Andrea McNulty served Ben Roethlisberger with a civil complaint accusing him of sexually assaulting her in July 2008. Ben has never sexually assaulted anyone; especially Andrea McNulty."The timing of the lawsuit and the absence of a criminal complaint and a criminal investigation are the most compelling evidence of the absence of any criminal conduct. If an investigation is commenced, Ben will cooperate fully and Ben will be fully exonerated."Ben will not be baited into a public discussion about his personal life, but we will defend him vigorously. The limited value that Ms. McNulty derived from public disclosure of these viciously false allegations is the only value she will ever receive from Ben in this case."

Roethlisberger has not commented publicly on the lawsuit. A Thursday news conference regarding his participation in Shaquille O'Neal's upcoming reality TV show on ABC has been canceled.

Quarterback's History With Steelers Includes Controversy

Roethlisberger has led the Steelers to two Super Bowl titles -- the most recent one in February, when Pittsburgh defeated Arizona -- and now, he has dealt with off-season controversy each time.

In June 2006, a few months after the Steelers' Super Bowl victory over Seattle, Roethlisberger crashed his motorcycle near the 10th Street Bridge and required extensive surgery that kept him in a hospital for three days. (See Slideshow Of Big Ben's Motorcycle Crash)

Though Roethlisberger recovered in time to play the 2006 season, he threw a career-high 23 interceptions and posted a career-low 75.4 passer rating as the defending Super Bowl champions finished third in the AFC North Division and missed the playoffs.

Ralph Cindrich, a Pittsburgh-based lawyer and sports agent, said that the legal standard in a civil case is much lower than it is in a criminal case, where there would have to be proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

"(McNulty's) attorney may think that he could leverage the case more and settle it without going through the criminal allegations," Cindrich said.

Former Teammate Reacts

Former NFL safety Mike Logan was a member of the Steelers Super Bowl XL team alongside Roethlisberger.

Logan said he considers Roethlisberger a friend and someone he respects.

While Logan wasn't in Nevada with Roethlisberger at the time of the alleged incident, he said he stands by his former teammate.

"I'm siding with the guy who I've been with for a long time and got to know pretty well over the last couple of years," said Logan. "I wasn't there -- I don't know the full details -- but knowing the history of Ben, and the support system he has around him, it's just very hard for me to believe the accuser."

"He's a great teammate, a fun guy to hang out with. There are a lot of people around him who protect him. I'm sure that he makes wise decisions for himself. To be caught up in a situation like this, it just doesn't seem like the character of Ben," said Logan.